Tag: Lenz

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Scary Paths

“The Lord Almighty is my strength.

He makes my feet like those of a deer.

He makes me walk on the mountains.

 For the choir director; on stringed instruments.” 

Hab.3:19

There is a lot of desert in the Land that God gave to His people.  There are also mountains.  When I read this verse, I think of a particular oasis in the desert of Israel, the place where David and Saul had their famous shouting match. There is a waterfall where waters from the heights of Jerusalem, having traveled underground, spill out into this mountain oasis…utterly beautiful in its contrast to the surrounding desert.

As our group begins to walk the long path to the waterfall, we move higher and higher. The rocky path narrows and becomes more challenging.  By the time we reach the sparkling waters flowing from Jerusalem gushing out of the rock, its contrast to the rocky desert surroundings are a pure delight. Many walk right into the sparkling, refreshing water.

But along the way, there are often gazelles (small, mountain deer) perched on rocky ledges, watching our human struggles to move along the mountain paths below them.  They easily bound up the side of the cliffs in ways we could never maneuver.  And they watch us struggle, panting as we go, clinging to any rocky outcrop along the way.

Part of the wonder of watching these deer move along the steep cliffs is not only the ease with which they climb, but the grace with which they move.  Effortless.  Sure-footed. Natural.  Fearlessly.  Like a beautiful song.

David, in this desert oasis, watched a similar scene often each day.  He had been running and hiding for his life. Seeing these fleet-footed deer easily maneuvering terrain that could surely lead to a man’s death, David could relate.  Surrounded by the harsh desert and the steep, rocky paths along the exposed mountain wall, David saw himself being strengthened and motivated to stand firmly on his Rock of Salvation.

As I move through the steep, rocky paths of life, I want to have such a confidence in God’s constant Presence and Guidance in my life.  I don’t want to be clinging to a safe spot, white-knuckled and stuck.  I want to move forward gracefully and fluidly, knowing I was made for this Journey, and this Journey was made for me. . . like the deer on the cliffs.  I want my life to be a song that others can join in on the words and melody.  It’s a simple song, sweet and clear, that David gave us.  But its meaning and truth continues through the ages.

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Walking Before God

“Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old,

the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,

‘I am God Almighty;

Walk before Me,

and be blameless.’”

Gen. 17:1

Abram had lived for 99 years walking his own path in life.  What an interruption….disruption….this Divine Encounter must have been for him.  And coming from an Entity he knew nothing about, this is one of the most history-making experiences recorded in the Bible.  He was a successful desert man.  A shepherd, with a lot of animals, property and history.

But he had never encountered GOD.  His world was one of idols and all the godless activities that were part of that picture.  Then came his Divine Interruption.  Simple. Clear.  But utterly Life-changing.  History-changing.  History-making.

God makes an extremely brief introduction identifying Himself as El-Shaddai (All-powerful; All-mighty….far surpassing any of the gods in Abram’s world.)  He then establishes the new Path, the new Life, to which He was calling Abram.

No explanation.  No details.  No organizational blueprints.

“Walk before Me…”

Walk:  Put one foot in front of the other.  Don’t run.  Don’t plant yourself in the sand.  Move forward.

Before Me:  God had His Eye on him.  He kept Abram in His Sight.  God didn’t put Abram behind Him, where he might fall unnoticed or get off-track. God was trusting him enough to walk ahead of Him, but His Eye was always on him.  God had Abram’s back.  “Walk”….don’t run.  Don’t stand still.  Move forward, with the confidence that God was there, covering his most vulnerable position – behind him.

Be blameless:   The most challenging, yet most crucial responsibility to which God was calling Abram.  There were no 10 Commandments yet.  Abram was stepping into an utterly unknown experience of walking with God.  Sin and disobedience was a way of life since the time of Adam.  But God was calling him to a life that would have to be far above that of his world. Blame is a very human reality. Abram’s life would have to be one that was blameless in the eyes of the world around him.

May we, the sons and daughters of Abraham, follow God’s clear, simple instruction to him knowing that our Father walks with us.

 

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What Are You Thinking About?

“Take no thought for your life,

What you will eat,

Or what you will drink;

Nor yet for your body what you shall put on.”

Mtt. 6:25 

I have spent SO much time packing clothes for my trips, trying to project what weather, circumstances, activates, and days for which I will need to be prepared.  I consider a lot of “what if’s” and try to plan for the unexpected.  In reality, I often come back home having worn about half of what I had packed.  And I have used but a handful of the products and materials I have brought.  I return home with new aches and pains from dragging all my “preparations” through airports, staircases, and vehicles.

“Taking thought” requires a lot of time, energy, and resources.

I watch my desert family and see the simplicity of the amount of “stuff” in their homes.  For my family there, one shopping bag per child holds most of their clothes.   All of their collective “products” could fit in a shoe box.  Life is far from simple in their refugee conditions, but what they wear and how they look is not high on the priority list.

Jesus had been addressing the practical needs and attitudes of His followers.  Many, many were beginning to follow Him.  They found Him exciting. . . different . . . authentic.  Curious, they wanted to hear what profound things He had to say.  But Jesus brought it down to a very practical level.  He addressed the common, everyday, practical activities and values of the people in that culture.  He laid it out in everyday language and everyday life.

But first, He lived it.

Jesus turned their values upside-down.

Jesus did not just talk about letting go of the values and “stuff” of the world He stepped into . . . He lived it.   Modeled it.  He shook it up, not only with His Words, but with His Life.  His ministry was face-to-face, heart-to-heart.  His example was purposeful.

Was it only for that time and place?   Or are His Words and Life for All Time . . . for us now?

Yes, He challenged heart values.  But those values show up in our everyday lives.

May we “take thought” for those things that mattered most to the One Whose Name we carry.

 

 

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Giving in Grief

“Bring them here to Me.”

Matthew 14:18

It’s Memorial Day.  The local parade began early this morning, and marched within a block of my home.  They ended in the cemetery directly behind me, along the river.  It’s where I had spent time this past weekend, placing and planting two urns with flowers at the grave of my Love…a first-time experience in my life, and one I had never imagined.

Jesus knows that human feeling.  He had lost His dear cousin John…tragically, and not in a natural, earthly way.   Jesus went out in a boat overlooking the Galilee Sea to be alone.  We can only imagine the grief He was experiencing.  But the crowds followed Him, and He put His own grief aside as He touched and healed them. That evening, His closest friends came to Him, concerned that He was alone, people were hungry, and they were all out in the middle of nowhere.  It was getting dark.  Having no food, His friends recommended that He send the huge crowd away to find their own food.

But Jesus, in the midst of His own grief, did not send them away.  Hearing that there were two fish and five loaves of bread, He said, “Bring them to me.” They all sat down.

Jesus looked up to Heaven, and blessed the food He held in His hands.

Soon, all of the people who had come to Him were eating…with lots of food left over.

As evening came, Jesus sent His disciples back across the lake.  Then He sent all the people home.

Jesus went up the mountain alone that night.

In the midst of His own personal loss and grief, He had focused on those who were waiting to meet Him…wanting  to be with Him.  They needed Him, and they longed to have their lives touched by Him.

As we pass through this earthly life, we experience loss, pain, … grief.  We feel that we have nothing left to give.  Jesus felt that, too.  Yet, in the midst of His human loss, He used what was placed in His Hands and all those around Him were blessed and filled.

The little we have left in our own sorrow, when placed in His Hands, can bless those around us.  He is so very near to the brokenhearted, and this broken world longs to see Him…hear from Him.

He sees.  He knows.  He gives. He loves, choosing to use us.   And this broken  world waits…

 

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Impossible Ways

“God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep

that it is impossible to explain his decisions

or to understand his ways.” 

Romans 11:33

I think this is a challenging passage for people in the Western world.   We seem to thrive on figuring out anything that comes our way.  We discuss it…analyze it….figure out the why’s, and make plans and decisions so that whatever went wrong will never happen again.  We love to feel safe, secure, well-prepared, and we set up as many plans and strategies as possible so that “it” cannot touch us again.   We love to be in control.

When God first “invited” me to the Sahara Desert to interact with the Saharawi people living in the refugee camps there, I was utterly terrified. I’m sure that I left skid-marks all the way across the Atlantic. Nothing was as I had imagined, and the “mission” to  gather 9 children, get them on a plane, and bring them to the US turned upside-down from the get-go.

The next trip, I had gathered a team and we had all focused on trying to cover every detail so that everything would go as smoothly as possible.  We had a great plan.

Well….. By Day #2 in the desert, I had a clear picture in my mind of handing my pages of plans, strategies and details to God, watching Him patiently look through it, then crumpling it up in His Hand, tossing it over His Shoulder and with a big smile and twinkle in His Eye, saying,  “OK…. now here’s what we’re going to do…”  And I was again flying by the seat of my pants, hanging on for dear life to His Coattails.

The Path God has led me along in these past 20 years would have NEVER, ever, ever been a thought in my own mind.   Certainly not anythingI would have considered, hoped, or wanted to do.  Yet, I wouldn’t change it for anything.  The challenges, the tears, the sense of loneliness, the spiritual warfare at every turn . . . none of that outweighs the depth of joy and awe that I’ve experienced by having a front row seat to watch God’s Spirit, in an impossible place and impossible situation, moving, working, bringing awareness of His Love, and touching..changing hearts and lives for eternity.

His Ways, His Decisions have been SO far beyond what my plans could have done.  More than I could have even imagined.  They have also involved deep pain and loss, also more than I could have imagined. But even in that, His riches, wisdom and love have been deeper still.

And in my heart of hearts, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

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The Right Hand

“…Then He laid His right hand on me

And said,

‘Don’t be afraid! 

I am the first and the last, the living One.

I was dead,

But now I am alive forever.

I have the keys of death and hell.’”

Rev. 1:17-18 

John had been living in a forced exile and was nearing the end of his life when he had this experience with Jesus.  John had knownHim.  He had walkedwith Him.  He had spent yearswith Him, and had shared a close, loving relationship with Jesus in those years.  John had known Him well.

Yet, in his exile, loneliness, and all the memories which he held in his heart, he didn’t recognize this One he loved so much. John hadn’t humanly known Him in his present context.  He was suffering and alone.  John had communicated with God’s Angel before, but this would be different.  (Rev. 1:12-18)

Jesus came.   But not as John had experienced or known Him before.

Jesus’ tender, powerful words to John were unexpected. John was frightened.  It had been a long time since he had experienced any human tenderness . . . perhaps any human interaction at all.  He must have thought that his life was over. Everything revolved around memories . . . the past.

In the desert, my people there have taught me so many things that were not of my experience in the Western world.   There, the “right hand” has significance, on a daily basis.  The right hand is treated differently than the left.  It is the hand that touches another person.  The greeting of a hand-shake, the friendly touch on a shoulder, . . . these touches of affection are done with the right hand. The left hand is used for dirty tasks, and the friendly touch is not done with the left.  Respect is demonstrated by the use of the clean right hand.

The noted detail of Jesus laying His right handon John’s shoulder has meaning.  It silently expresses the touch of a Friend, with tenderness, respect, and affection.  John must have needed that touch.  He had been isolated. . . alone . . .for such a long time.  And Jesus was asking him to write the things He was about to show him.  Things belonging to the future that had not been revealed before.  John would have needed that unspoken reassurance from his dearly loved Friend as he took pen in hand and began to write.

Such kindness, tenderness, and respect Jesus wove into this Divine Encounter.

 

 

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Kingdom

“But first,

be concerned about His Kingdom

and what has His approval.

Then all these things will be provided for you.”

Mtt.6:33 

It’s difficult for us, as people living in the Western Hemisphere, to begin to wrap our minds around what it means to live in a Kingdom.   Our nation’s very roots came out of a determination to live freely, independently of a kingdom that had always dictated the rule of life.  They established a new way of life, one which was “self-governing,” rather than under the rule of a king.  Independenceis an underlying rule of life for Americans.  And, of course, it also affects our understanding of all that a King is in all of his power, authority, rule, and majesty.

When we step into the Kingdom of God, we have the challenge of learning what it means to live in the Kingdom over which God is the King.  He isn’t the President of a democracy.  He is The King.

My first real exposure to a kingdom on this earth, and of an actual king, came through my experience in the desert refugee camps.  Through the decisions of a King and Kingdom, their country was militarily invaded, and their lives and future as a nation were forever changed.  The Saharawi people left their homes, neighborhoods, belongings, jobs, and all that encompassed their daily lives as they literally ran into the barren, harsh desert across their nation’s border. Everything changed.  All that had been, was no more.  A Kingdom had come, in all of its power and rule.

We have the King of all Kings invitingus into His Kingdom.  He does not come with force, even though His Power is far beyond all powers on this earth.  His Kingdom is perfect.  His rule is based on perfect Love, and is Just and True.  This King does not invade our lives by force.  He invites us into His Kingdom, having personally paid the cost for each of us to enter.  We are not required to earn our entrance into His Kingdom…it is offered freely.

What desert have you stepped into, where people wait to hear the Good News of a Perfect Kingdom, whose Perfect King invites them to enter and live?

 

 

 

 

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Sobering Reminder for His People

“However, if My people, who are called by My Name,

 will humble themselves,

pray,

search for Me,

and turn from their evil ways,

then I will hear their prayer from heaven,

forgive their sins,

and heal their country.”

2 Chron. 7:14

God’s people were at a spiritual “high” . . . Their leadership (Solomon and King David) had completed the Temple dedicated to God.  God was more than pleased, and His Glory had filled the temple that had been prepared for Him.   Everything seemed to be going well for God’s people.

But in the midst of this spiritual “high,” God gave a strong caution. Spiritual “high’s” can get out of hand if His people begin to get wrapped up in spiritual experiences rather than in God Himself.  He knows our weaknesses, our temptations, and our tendencies to run ahead of His Plans. Notice His short list of “to do’s”:

  • Humble themselves….look realistically at our weaknesses and failures. Be honest about what is true of our own hearts.  When things are going well, it’s easy for pride to take root, grow, and overshadow the very actions that He was blessing.
  • Pray……Intentionally talk to Him, about everything; and listen to what He responds to our hearts.
  • Search for Me…..keep our eyes, ears, hearts open to what He is doing, where He is working (or not)…and intentionally join Him as we see or sense His Spirit active, whether it fits our thoughts and plans or not;
  • Turn from our evil ways….deliberately stop those actions and ways that are out of line with God’s living activities in our minds and hearts.

The powerful impact of His People living, breathing and moving together towards Him and His Purposes in this world, will be life-changing. . . . and world changing. Interesting note:   He is addressing His people, whether leaders are doing it or not….

If ever our world – our nation – has needed to know God is hearing us, forgiving us, and healing our country, it is now.  It’s on us – His people – to pursue humility, prayer, pursuit of Him, and obedience to Him.   Even if our leaders don’t, we can.  We must.

And we have His Word that He will respond by hearing us,  forgiving us,  and healing us, with a desperately needed impact on the hopeless world around us.

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Shining in the Dark

“God wanted his people throughout the world to know the glorious riches of this mystery—

which is Christ living in you, giving you the hope of glory.

We spread the message about Christ

as we instruct and teach everyone with all the wisdom there is.

We want to present everyone as mature Christian people.” 

 Col.5:27-28

Did you ever encounter a person who had been watching you, detecting there was something “spiritual” about you, but not knowing exactly what that was?   When we have Christ living inside of us, those who watch can notice “something different” about our lives.   God’s heart is for everyone to know Him, but there is a huge chunk of this globe that has never seen or met someone who has Christ living in them.  For them, their encounter with a Follower is notable, and raises great curiosity. Sadly, most have probably never even met anyone who could answer their questions about Who Christ is.

A most memorable part of my story in the desert involved exactly such a situation. Two strangers (men) approached me, saying they had been watching me over time, and knew there was “something spiritual” about me, but did not know what it was.  “Are you Catholic? Are you Orthodox?”  (This was the extent of their exposure to Christianity.)

After responding “no”, they said, “Then what are you?”

Not knowing whether this was a “trap” or a sincere question, I hesitantly replied, “I am a person of The Book.   I follow Jesus.”   Their faces lit up, and one excitedly said, “We have been searching for someone who could answer our big question!   Now we can ask!”

Hesitantly, not knowing what kind of question was to come, I said, “What is your big question?”  Their reply rocked me.   “Who is Christ?”

Do you realize the Treasure you carry within your heart?  Your life?  Although we see all our flaws and failures, His Spirit in us is Light, and in a dark world, it is notable.  So many are looking for the Light….even if they are not aware of that longing.   The Spirit of Jesus, living in us, is Light in this dark world . . . God’s way of inviting them into His Light.  He uses us. YOU!

These two men were top religious leaders of my desert people.  The story continues with them . . . but that is for another time.

The Light that lives within us is not only for our benefit. . . it is a significant way for God to expose and draw those living in darkness to come to know Him and to experience His Hope.

May your Light shine in your world.

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Desert Shepard

“He found his people in a desertland,

 in a barren place where animals howl.

He guarded them,

took care of them,

and protected them

because they were helpless.”

Deut. 32:10

God had not intended to have His people living in a barren desert.   His plan had begun in a perfect paradise garden.  But over the ages, their story had spiraled down to a point where they were literally, and spiritually, in a barren desert.   They had become the “prey.”

And God found them there.  The desert had not been His intention, yet He had pursued them to the very place that would destroy them if left to themselves.   He stepped in as Guardian of their lives, providing for their needs in order to survive in this desolate destination of their own choices.  And He stepped in to protect them from all the things that threatened their existence.  They had gone too far to help themselves.  They were not able to protect themselves, or to do anything to escape their advancing demise.  They had gotten themselves into this deadly situation.

Yet, the Shepherd of all shepherds stepped into their hopeless reality:

  • He guardedthem . . . literally placing Himself between them and the danger that threatened their lives;
  • He took care of them . . . providing for their needs. . . food, water, healing, all the practical, day-in-day-out needs that require time, patience, knowledge of health and all that can lead to sickness and death.
  • He protected This requires constant attention to all that could come to threaten, harm, or destroy His people.  He watchfully was poised to intercept any danger that came near to the helplesscreatures He loved.  Sheep are the most helpless animals to care for, as they have NO means of natural defense…except to run until they literally knock themselves out in their frantic attempts to escape their threat.

In the desert refugee camps, I was privileged to know a man – a governor – who lived out a similar reality, as a Good Shepherd:

He led the largest camp with quiet strength, wisdom and vision.  The previously struggling camp was transforming into a vibrant, productive community.  He worked tirelessly toward his goal:  If they can learn to thrive in hardship, they will flourish when they are back in their homeland of Western Sahara.

Often weary and overwhelmed, he would journey alone to  the sand dunes and peer up into the star-studded heavens.  There in the vast quietness, he would pour out his heart to The Creator.  Perspective returned.  Clarity. Purpose.  Comfort.  And he would return to his camp of thousands, ready to face another day.